Lost One

44

❝TAE❞

𝙸𝙽𝚅𝙰𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝙱𝚄𝙻𝙰𝚁 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙸𝙽𝙾𝙼𝙰. That was the cancer the Booker brothers were informed their Mother was diagnosed with after a routine mammogram last month. Ruth was just days before her scheduled appointment to have surgery when her breathing became an issue. After her lengthy talk with Anicia, she found the guts to tell her son's instead of hiding it from them any longer.

They all took it hard. However, Tae took it the hardest by locking himself away in his compound with no communication with the outside world; nobody in his family for two days.

Once it hit day three, with the weekend approaching, Toby and De decided to check on their brother and using the gate's passcode to drive themselves in, knowing he wouldn't give them entry access himself. The two were closing the doors to Toby's Silverado, walking for the entrance estate.

"Do you hear music?"

Toby listens closely to the muffled sound. "Yup."

Entering, the brother's was greeted by the loud classic of Sam Cooke's (𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮) 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙, was playing so high they couldn't hear themselves think.

"Ace. . he listening to Sam Cooke!" De shouts over the music.

"I hear that." Toby walked in further, with De following, going to find their baby brother. They reach the dark theater room that reeks of alcohol and Tae singing off key. He hit on the light, making their drunk brother squint and looking their way.

"Brothas!" Tae raised the bottle, titling it too far to the brown liquor pouring on him, "Oh shit," he chuckles, straightening the bottle.

Toby eyes darted to the empty 1800 bottles on the floor making him exhale in extreme concern. His baby brother didn't drink unless it was on celebratory occasions and counting the seven other bottles on the floor, he realized the brother that vowed to not drink over one bottle after watching alcohol be a downfall with his Father, there he was on bottle eight.

❝ I sure wish somebody,
would come and ease my,
troublin' mind ❞

Hearing the soul-filled voice of Sam Cooke does something to Toby's inner child, making him walk over to Tae's phone and cut the sound.

Tae groaned, "Man, come on! Y'all killing my vibe!" he slurs, "Y'all remember Daddy used to play this for Momma every night?"

The brother's watched Tae raise the bottle to his lip, swallowing a gulp. He exhaled sharply from the burning sensation in his chest. "He wasn't always bad y'all. That was they favorite song."

"No. . That wasn't Momma favorite song, Book. That was the song she played every night so we wouldn't hear her getting her ass beat by Daddy while we was sleep," Toby exhaled making Tae slowly pull the bottle off his mouth after another sip, "She played it loud cause Sam Cooke kept y'all sleep. But not me. I was always the one to wake up and hear her in the next room. So, no, it wasn't her favorite song and quite frankly, mine either. He wasn't good."